Letters to Editor

LETTERS for February 18 issue

February 18, 2010

PUUKOLII ROAD NEEDS REPAIRS

(The following letter was sent to County Councilwoman Jo Anne Johnson.)

This is in regards to Puukolii Road in the Kaanapali area. Is there nothing that can be done to fix the mess we have there? I was amazed that the county came up and repainted the center line. The county had to send surveyors out to locate where the line needed to be, as it had not been striped in many years. Why spend the money to do so on a road that is in such disrepair? Now that it is painted, I have found that if you drive with one wheel on the center line, it is smoother than the rest of the road. I don’t think that is what the center stripe was intended for, or the reasoning behind it, but it’s true. As you know from being a neighbor, the road is a mess.

I live at the Kaanapali Hillside and use Puukolii Road numerous times a day. I have a Ford Ranger truck that I just had to spend nearly $1,800 on, to have the front end completely rebuilt. The rebuilding of the truck’s front end was due to the ruts and potholes on the county roads, especially Puukolii. My question to you is, who at the county can I send my invoice to for reimbursement? I am not being facetious or trying to be funny. I am serious, as I feel the county owes me for the front end rebuild.

Would you please send me any contact information to whom I can send my invoice? I appreciate your help.

WARREN LELAND, Kaanapali

I LOVE GRAYSON!

He said, “Former Republican Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani claimed that no attacks happened on U.S. soil ‘except’ for 9/11. And I realized that I was witnessing the birth of a new form of political discourse from the right wing in this country: The Exception.

“The Exceptional Exception — the exception that proves the rule or disproves the rule, as the case may be. So in the future, I’m expecting that we’ll hear from the right wing the claim that no cities drowned under the Bush administration — except for New Orleans.

“And that there were no wars that were started by mistake under the Bush administration — except for the war in Iraq.

“And that the Bush administration added nothing to the federal debt — except for a half-trillion dollars, which works out to $15,000 for every man, woman and child in this country.

“And that they respected all of our constitutional rights as Americans — except when they didn’t.

“I think we’ll hear Republicans claim that the Bush administration managed the economy quite well — except when they brought it to the brink of national bankruptcy.

“In fact, they’ll claim that the Bush-Cheney administration was a complete success, except for the fact that it was an abject failure. In fact, what we learned in Washington for eight years is that the reason why Republicans hate government so much is because they’re so bad at it.”

JUSTIN HUGHEY, Lahaina

END THE SALES OF FOIE GRAS IN HAWAII

I would like to encourage readers to please support Senate Bill 2170 to prohibit the sale of foie gras in the State of Hawaii.

Foie gras production universally ranks as one of the cruelest forms of animal agriculture, and public outrage at the inhumane practices inherent in the foie gras industry has resulted in bans of the product in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, Israel, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and the Czech Republic.

In foie gras production, ducks are crammed in filthy sheds, suffering from liver disease after being force-fed through long metal pipes shoved down the birds’ throats.

Consumers around the globe have demanded the removal of foie gras from restaurant menus. In the U.S., public awareness is rising rapidly, as seen in California where Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill into law that will ban the production and sale of foie gras in the state.

Please e-mail a letter in support of this bill. Check the state capitol website or call me at 879-0025 to be notified when the testimony will be heard . E-mail testimony to WTLtestimony@capitol.hawaii.gov addressed to the Committee on Land, Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs — Sen. Clayton Hee, chair; Sen. Jill N. Tokuda, vice chair.

We will hold a demonstration on Lahainaluna Road to protest foie gras on Feb. 27 from 5:45 to 8 p.m.

BARBARA STEINBERG, Kihei

THANKS FOR SUPPORTING THE SBS CHAMPIONSHIP

On behalf of the SBS Championship, Kapalua Maui Charities and the Kapalua Event staff, I would like to sincerely thank Volunteer Chairpersons Ed Hogan, Gary Roberts, Pat Dawson, Lee and Ann Ahlbrecht, Dave and A.J. Records, Joe Craig, John Valtierra, Doug McLellan, Kathy Taylor, Barbara Land and Jack Field for all their dedication and efforts towards the success of the event.

We truly appreciate the countless hours they spend in organizing their areas of responsibility.

The PGA Tour always cites them as one of the best volunteer teams, and we couldn’t agree more. They are a force to be reckoned with!

Again, a heartfelt mahalo, as it’s always a pleasure working with all of you. In addition, your service has helped us contribute over $3.2 million to the Maui community.

NANCY CROSS, Tournament Director, SBS Championship

GAS PRICES SHOULD DROP

Oil prices have fallen 13 percent since Feb. 3, but our gas prices are still the same. Sounds like price fixing to me.

DOUGLAS WEST, Lahaina

KEEP TICKET FUNDS ON MAUI

(The following letter was sent to Rep. Angus McKelvey.)

As a lifelong resident of Maui, I am sure you are aware of the traffic woes on the island and on the West Side in particular. Excessive speeding and careless driving are the norm, and the Maui Police seem to be overwhelmed to enforce the speed limits.

I live on Lower Honoapiilani Road, which has a 20 MPH speed limit that is pretty much ignored by drivers (locals and tourists). I contacted the Maui Police, and they stationed a radar unit there two days (running for an hour-plus each morning) to get a better picture of the situation. That is effective while they are there, but as soon as they leave, it is back to speeding on a narrow residential road.

The reason I am writing you is because while I was talking to one of the officers, I was informed that all revenue from traffic tickets goes to Oahu, and none of it stays here to fund improved enforcement of the laws through the hiring of additional officers and the purchase of more and better equipment.

With our state facing a huge budget deficit, why not properly enforce ticketing drivers that ignore the speed limits, creating an unsafe roadway for the rest of us? Based on what I see while commuting on Highway 30 from Napili to Lahaina, it would not take a whole lot of effort to increase the income from fines tenfold or more. The other benefit is that we would all have safer highways. So, instead of sending traffic fine money to Oahu, keep it here and make our driving safer.